


We Met on the 'Net

by SesuRescue (Kigachan)



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: First Dates, Grillby and Heats are cousins, M/M, Meet-Cute, Referenced Heats Flameman, Surface World AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-07-17 18:37:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16101440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kigachan/pseuds/SesuRescue
Summary: Papyrus was going to meet the illustrious fire elemental FlameMaster9000 for the first time in person....OF COURSE HE'S NOT FREAKING OUT, HE HAS NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.





	We Met on the 'Net

**Author's Note:**

> I went to a cafe and unintentionally was the witness of a real life bonafide meet-cute. It was so adorable I nearly cried, so instead I channeled that energy into a fic.

The door opened with a small chime as Papyrus stepped into the cafe, stopping at the reception desk to wait for a waiter. He looked at his watch with a relieved sigh: he was early, as he predicted. That was the goal after all: get here early to scout out a nice table in a private, semi-secluded area before his date got there.

Papyrus smiled to himself, giddy. He had been looking forward to this date for a while, ever since he met FlameMaster9000 on PlentyOfMonsters a few weeks ago. He felt the chemistry from their first chat session, this strong sense that told him ‘this is it Papyrus, this is the one’, and damn if he wasn’t going to listen to it this time.

Well, this was the first time, but that was beside the matter.

He crossed his arms, lightly itching at his ulna under his dress shirt. Where was the waiter? He knew that this place tended to be a little less frequented  

(which was honestly why he chose it in the first place.

Trying to hear his date over a family of screaming bunnies and a pair of dogs yip and yap at each other in a crowded place? No thank you, not his cup of tea. He would always choose Squat Man Knoll. Not only was it reliably quieter since it was an older touristy place in a not so touristy area,but the food was good too! Only the best for his date!)

but waiting this long for just sitting was a little ridiculous??? He was a very patient and friendly skeleton, and no amount of stress was going to change that, but can he at least get a chance to sit down and have a few panic attacks before his date got here--

“Hello!” A cheery voice called from behind him. Papyrus turned around to the seating area. He instantly spotted the source of the voice: a blue bunny, dressed in a loose bright polo with the cafe’s logo on it and a pair of dark slacks. His hands were full of mostly empty plates and it seemed preoccupied, but his ears were turned in Papyrus’s attention, one half-cocked in a way that Papyrus would call friendly. “I’ll be right with you in a second, sorry for the wait!”

Papyrus went to nod but stopped himself short. “Is it okay if I seat myself in the corner over there?” He asked, gesturing to the far side of the cafe.

“Oh, sure! Go ahead!”

Papyrus beamed, waiting for the bunny to head towards the kitchens before he acted. That was a good move on his end, all things considered. He just happened to see a very good table when he turned, and it was just perfect! It was near a big window, allowing the sun to shine in. The view might not be the best (the downsides of going to a cafe in the middle of nowhere), but maybe the sun would help lighten up the atmosphere? Plus, his date was a fire elemental. No better way to say ‘Hello, I want this date to go well!’ than with a nice, healthy dose of sunshine.

Upon reaching the table, Papyrus examined it from multiple angles. It was nice, like he thought it was from the reception desk, but…

There was something off. He wasn’t sure what it was, but suddenly this table was a farce, a fake, awful, terrible, and a disgrace. He couldn’t allow the precious tush of FlameMaster9000 to sit at this monstrosity!

Papyrus scrutinized the rest of the cafe. It was quiet, which is what he would expect at 4 pm on a weekday. There was a couple of diamond-headed monsters at a table close to where he came in, two vulkins holding hands at another, and in a different corner, a small, green-tinted flame monster. She looked young, but the way she was slowly nursing a brightly colored drink alluded to being older than he thought. She seemed bored, checking her phone every now and again, but put off an aura that made Papyrus feel...calmer?

There was an empty table near her (also with a pleasant window view), and Papyrus made the quick decision to sit there. He expected a bit of backlash or maybe an angry look from his neighbor, but to his surprise, she barely reacted.

He made a good choice after all!

“Oh, you’re over here!” The bunny from before stood over him, nearly hopping in place as he greeted Papyrus.

“Yes, I am! I bet that was a clever jape, huh?”

The bunny tilted their head to the side. “Pardon?”

“The uh--that I’m over here, and not over there where I said I’d be,” Papyrus chuckled, embarrassed.

“Oh, gotcha! So, would you like anything to drink?”

“Uhm…” Papyrus eyed the menu in front of him. Usually, he got a water to drown his nerves, but maybe that wasn’t appropriate with his date being made of flames. “Can you come back to me? I’m still waiting on one more.”

“Oh, sure!” The bunny nodded and scampered off, leaving Papyrus to his devices.

He checked his watch again, noting that he still had a few minutes until their agreed upon meeting time, so Papyrus decided to use the time to hype himself up.

_Okay, it’s go time! You’re looking great, truly a gift to skeletons everywhere! Your tie is nice, your shirt; aesthetically pleasing, your skull; buffed to perfection with Sans’s help! You may not have the best of luck when it comes to love, but this is where it turns around!_

He continued to mutter to himself, finding his shoulders slowly descending from their upraised ‘high-alert’ anxiety position into something more relaxing. He went to take a large, unnecessary breath--

\--only to nearly choke on it as a tall, handsome fire elemental entered the cafe.

Was this his date?! He tried to put on a casual expression, but he knew that his face must’ve been tinted orange from his excitement. He could only see the monster’s back, but they were dressed in dark, slim-fitting jeans and a light denim jacket folded up to his elbows. Their flames were lively, orange sparks licking over the seams of their clothing and _suddenly they were turning around and Papyrus had to stop his mouth from gaping open because they were beautiful_???

Recognition played on the elemental’s face--at least Papyrus thought so. They didn’t have many features to convey such complex emotions, but he felt like he caught the barest hint of raised eyebrows--as their eyes met, and his flames parted to display a mouth. The elemental crooked the corners of their makeshift mouth up into a lopsided smile and--oh gosh, Papyrus could feel his SOUL swooning, how was this monster so beautiful?!

Papyrus resisted the urge to grab his rib cage in emotion as the elemental walked towards him, taking a seat in the chair opposite him.

“...You’re CoolSkeleton95, right?”

“UH, YEP, T-that’s me.” Papyrus squawked, floundering to keep his voice steady. It wasn’t easy when his date had the voice of an angel. It was a low timbre, closer to a rumble than an actual normal vocal register, with a crackling warmth underneath like a gentle hearth.

Yeah, Papyrus was pretty sure he could marry this man. Grab your tux, Undyne, your best friend is going to get married soon.

Right, he was talking before he got sidetracked.

“I--you’re FlameMaster9000?” He confirmed.

“...You can just call me Grillby,” The elemental--Grillby-- said, giving him another jagged smile.

“Right, nice to meet you, Grillby! My name is Papyrus.”

Grillby nodded. “...Pleasure.”

 _You’re telling me,_ Papyrus thought, hoping he wasn’t perspiring too much. He faked a cough and transitioned into what his dating manual called ‘small talk’. “You look very nice today!”

Grillby seemed to light up at that, his flames wisping around slightly more energetically. “...Thank you, I wanted to leave a good impression.”

“Consider myself impressed!” Papyrus said enthusiastically. He meant every bit of it, especially now that he could see Grillby’s outfit fully. Grillby had chosen to wear a simple white v-neck to finish off his outfit, but even just that small choice was perfect. With the thin, rectangular, black-rimmed glasses over Grillby’s eyes, it gave him an aura of ‘casual, yet handsome’ that took Papyrus’s metaphorical breath away.

“...I appreciate it. Your attire is also very lovely today. It reminds me of your profile picture.”

“Oh yeah?” That made sense; his picture was taken during a wedding a few months ago so he had been dressed to the nines for it. Speaking of which… “It’s funny you say that. I imagined you’d be in a suit, based on your own picture.”

Grillby sighed wistfully, a few stray sparks emitting from his mouth with the action. “...The bartender uniform, right?”

Papyrus nodded. Grillby’s profile picture was him at a more selfie-like angle and showed off a striking black and white outfit, complete with a rag for drying glasses. That uniform had been the biggest reason why Papyrus had reached out to him in the first place: he always did appreciate a man who could wear a nice suit. That wasn’t to say that the man in front of him right now wasn’t stunning and amazing and wonderful, just different.

“...It was my cousin’s idea honestly. He’s scarily good at taking selfies, and offered to help me look ‘really hot’, pun intended.” Grillby gave a small shrug of his shoulders. “...I don’t like to dress up on my off-time, so I wear more casual clothing. Sorry if that ruins the image a little.”

“What?! No, never! You seriously look gorgeous!”

Grillby brought his hand to his mouth and looked away as his body sparked wildly. His flames took on a lighter tint at the ends, closer to a pale yellow than the deep orange Papyrus had become accustomed to, and he took that to be a good sign, probably.

At that moment their waiter came over again. “Hello and welcome! Can I offer you two any beverages?”

Papyrus gestured to Grillby to let him go first. It was a good chivalrous move, with the added side effect of finding out what he could and couldn’t order. Grillby pored over the menu for a few seconds before looking up. “...What would you recommend for wine?”

The bunny crossed his arms as he looked up in thought, ears flopping behind him. “Hmmm, I think the Rosé is particularly good.”

Grillby looked back down at the menu to find the drink before nodding. “...I think that sounds lovely.”

“And you, sir?”

“Um…the milk?” Papyrus asked.

“Milk, sir?”

“Yes, milk builds strong bones, so that’s what I’ll have!”

The waiter nodded and left. Papyrus glanced back at Grillby. “So, Grillby. Where are you from?”

“...I’m from Hotland.”

“Really?” Papyrus heard about monsters from Hotland. They tended to be rougher apparently, and more forward in their actions. The calm, well-mannered elemental just didn’t seem to fit those criteria.

Grillby must’ve been a mind reader, because he said, “...You must be thinking that I don’t fit the profile, correct?”

“Well--I mean, I wasn’t trying to insinuate--”

Chuckling, Grillby waved him off. “...It’s okay, I get it all the time. You’d be surprised, but it’s very rare to find an actual hot-tempered Hotlander.”

“Really?”

“...Yeah, most of it is just stereotypes people like to put on us. Personally, I love to watch others get bewildered over my demeanor,” Grillby said with a hint of a mischievous tone. For some reason that tone of his flustered Papyrus.

The date went on as the two talked about random topics. Some of it was general, focused on the surface world as a whole and how they felt about it, and it quickly devolved into sillier topics like food preferences. Grillby liked to eat bananas a lot, Papyrus learned, and had once eaten so many bananas one day as a kid that he nearly combusted--quite literally. On the flip side, strawberries were the fruits he avoided as much as possible.

 _“...My cousin used to chase me around the house with strawberries, so I quickly learned to hate them_.”

Papyrus was learning so much about his date-mate, and he really felt like the date as a whole was going well. The conversation flowed easily, their chemistry was off the charts, and Grillby was handsome! It was perfect!

At some point during the date, their food had come out: an avocado black bean burger for Grillby, and a salad for Papyrus. Papyrus took out his phone and positioned it over his salad, ready to take a photo for his MonGram account, when Grillby suddenly piped up.

“...Hey, take a picture of me too.”

“Is that okay?” Papyrus asked. He wanted to, gosh did he want to take a picture of his ethereal date, just so when he left he could look at it and confirm that the entire date wasn’t a figment of his imagination. But was that proper?

“...Yeah, it’s fine. Besides, don’t you want to take a picture of the cutest part of your day?”

Papyrus blushed bright orange. Not trusting himself to speak, he settled for a stern nod and took a picture of Grillby too. He swiped back to the picture when he was done to look at it.

In the picture, Grillby had chosen to rest his cheek against his hand and looked directly into the camera with a wide, open smile. It was…

“Cute…” Papyrus exhaled.

Grillby leaned forward with a grin. “...Oh? Can I see?” Papyrus turned his phone around and passed it to Grillby, failing to contain a small shudder as their hands briefly touched. Grillby looked at the picture before giving it back. “...That’s pretty good. You’ve caught my good side.”

“But every side is your good side,” Papyrus blurted, his blush more of a complete color fill at this point.

Grillby crackled happily. “You keep that up, and we’ll have to make this a repeat event.”

Papyrus returned his smile, SOUL fluttering as he already began to map out the next date.

**Author's Note:**

> IRL Lines I Wish I could've incorporated into this fic:  
> \------  
> Woman: You're smiling!  
> Man: Oh, am I?  
> Woman: That's a good sign!  
> \------  
> Woman, in a teasing, friendly voice: I almost broke a nail, you should feel guilty.  
> \------
> 
> I ship these people and sincerely wish for their happiness, because man they were so cute. You know what else might be cute?
> 
> My NSFW tumblr!: [Sesurescue](http://Sesurescue.tumblr.com)Feel free to bother me there!


End file.
